A giggle escaped Maren. The guys were hiding smiles, too.
“What else?” Juni asked.
“Second thing.” Colin held up another finger. “Know your exits. That’s a fancy word for doors. When you go into a room, you notice where all the doors are. Not because you’re scared. Just because doors are good things to know about.”
Juni looked around the room. “That’s the front door.” She pointed.
“Yep.”
“And that’s the back door in the kitchen.”
“Right again.”
“And there’s the bedroom doors, and the bathroom doors. And the basement door, but Auntie Mer says I can’t go down there without a grown-up.”
“Good rule.”
Juni pointed at the window. “The window’s not a door.”
“Also correct.”
“Unless you’re a squirrel.”
Colin’s mouth twitched. “Unless…you’re a…squirrel?” He looked at Maren.
Maren chuckled. “I opened the kitchen window back home to scare a stubborn squirrel off the bird feeder, and he decided to jump inside. Scared me to death.”
“That’d scare me too, eh?” Mac said, elbowing Colin in the ribs.
“Same.” He looked at Juni. “But I’d still catch it and get it out of there before it scared you.” He beeped Juni’s nose, then looked for all the world like he’d had no idea he was going to do it.
But when Juni giggled, Maren didn’t think she’d ever seen him look happier.
Not good with kids? He can’t seriously believe that.
Juni’s grip on Mr. Kibble eased a little. “What’s the third thing?”
“Third thing,” Colin said, holding up a third finger. “Use your big voice. If someone you don’t know tries to make you go somewhere and you don’t want to, you yell. Loud as you can. You say, ‘No! You’re not my grown-up!’ Can you say that for me?”
Juni’s eyes went wide. “Right now?”
“Right now.”
She took a breath. “No! You’re not my grown-up!”
“Louder.”
“No! You’re not my grown-up!”
“Even louder. Like you’re scaring that nightmare away again.”
Juni stood up.“No! You’re not my grown-up!”
Mac flinched. “I think the dogs at the kennel heard that one.”
Colin grinned. “Perfect. That’ll do it.”
Juni sat back down, breathing hard. But she was smiling now. “Those are good things to know.”
